Structures, Branching Ratios and Laser Cooling Scheme for 138BaF Molecule

Abstract: For laser cooling considerations, we have theoretically investigated the electronic, rovibrational and hypefine structures of BaF molecule. The highly diagonal Franck-Condon factors and the branching ratios for all possible transitions within the lowest-lying four electronic states have also been calculated. Meanwhile, the mixing between metastable A'2{\Delta} and A2{\Pi} states and further the lifetime of the {\Delta} state have been estimated since the loss procedure via {\Delta} state would like fatally destroy the main quasi-cycling {\Sigma}-{\Pi} transition for cooling and trapping. The resultant hyperfine splittings of each rovibrational states in X2{\Sigma}+ state provide benchmarksfor sideband modulations of cooling and repumping lasers and remixing microwaves to address all necessary levels. The calculated Zeeman shift and g-factors for both X and A states serve as benchmarks for selections of the trapping laser polarizations. Our study paves the way for future laser cooling and magneto-optical trapping of the BaF molecule.